Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“I’ve got a washer here.” For reasons Brandt didn’t entirely understand, his back tightened at the thought of Shane and the baby leaving. “And an extra room. You can stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll deal with the lawyer and a lab for the paternity test, go from there.”
“Thanks. I’m not too proud to take that offer.”
“I’ve got you. Two sets of hands is always better than one.” Brandt had been alone so much of his life that he often lost sight of that fact himself, but he was pretty good at recognizing when others needed help.
“Tell me about this place.” Shane patted the baby, tone a little more relaxed now. “I tracked you down through the sky diving outfit in Grangeville. Finally got someone on the phone who believed me that I wanted to send you a thank-you note. Guy on the phone said you were helping a friend?”
“Sort of a mutual help situation.” Brandt set aside his ire at Dallas’s staff for giving out his personal information. There’d be time enough to get mad about that later. “I’m with Painter’s Ridge air base this season, and I needed to find a place on the cheap. Tourist season drives all the rental prices around here sky high.”
“Grangeville didn’t want you back?” Shane was conversational, not accusatory, but Brandt still had to clench and unclench his fists before replying.
“Didn’t say that. Was time to move on, that’s all.” Brandt was not getting into the specifics on his nomadic lifestyle with Shane, even if the guy might be one to understand how his feet always got itchy if he stayed too long in one spot. “I hadn’t done an Oregon season in a few years, wanted to see some friends in the area. And when she heard I was coming back, the widow of an old-timer asked if I’d have interest in helping her get this place ready for market. It’s rural but an easy drive to the air base and Painter’s Ridge, and also close enough to Bend.”
“Nice deal.” Shane whistled low as he rocked the baby side to side. She was awake but drowsy after the bottle, little eyes fluttering shut then popping back open every time Shane stopped the rocking.
“Yup. It’s a sweet property, but it’ll fetch Maggie a better price in a tight market if it’s fixed up. Nothing me and my tools couldn’t tackle, so we struck a bargain.”
And it was highly satisfying work, painting rooms that hadn’t been refreshed in years, fixing little imperfections in drywall and such. It wasn’t the first time he’d made such an arrangement, and he was grateful for the choices like this that allowed him to have a fair bit in savings.
“I see. Think she’ll have issue with you having...company?” Shane pursed his lips. Brandt supposed company was one way to describe them arriving on his doorstep unannounced and upending whatever plans and assumptions Brandt had about his life and how it was supposed to go.
“Maggie’s in Seattle with her adult kid and grandkids now. She wouldn’t care about you guys staying. She only said no parties, but that’s not my style anyway.”
Shane raised an eyebrow at that.
“Okay, not my style now. I’m thirty. Old enough to go to others’ parties and want to go home to my own bed after.” He grinned at Shane, who didn’t grin back. Man, for a musician, he certainly could be uptight. “And like I said, I don’t drink much during the fire season. Beer here and there. Nothing harder. If I’m gonna be jumping, I need a clear head.”
“I respect that.” Shane transferred the baby to his shoulder, which was cute, her little body hanging on his wide shoulder like this little flowerpot gnome one of Brandt’s foster mothers had had. He’d have to try that hold next time it was his turn, save his elbow from getting so stiff.
“I wasn’t always so careful about mixing partying and being on call,” Brandt admitted as he stretched before clearing their plates. “But I’ve seen enough tough situations, had enough close calls that I value my own neck a little more these days.”
“Good.” Shane’s gaze swept over Brandt, like he was sizing him up as a fatherhood candidate. And Brandt didn’t like how much he cared what Shane concluded. He wasn’t usually someone who cared about others’ opinions. Brandt lived his own life and let others live theirs and that was that. But somehow Shane’s opinion mattered and that rankled.
“What do you need from the RV for the night?” His muscles were restless after all this talking, needing a purpose.
“If you hold her, I’ll grab her little cot thing and the laundry.” Shane stood and handed over the baby before Brandt could protest that he wanted to do the work. When Shane headed outside, he and the baby wandered down the hall beyond the kitchen that led to the bedrooms. He tried that shoulder position Shane had used. Pretty nifty.